Public health leaders warn of unfounded conspiracy theories

URBANA, Ill. (WCIA) — Unfounded conspiracy theories can cause a lot of damage, especially when they’re about COVID-19. One of them is getting a lot of traction, and it actually started with a law professor at the University of Illinois.

Francis Boyle believes the virus was man-made. He thinks it was developed as a bioweapon in a lab in Wuhan China. That theory has gained national attention, but there’s no proof to back it up, aside from the fact that there is a biosafety lab in Wuhan and other viruses have escaped from other labs in the past.

We talked to Awais Vaid, the Epidemiologist and Deputy Administrator of the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District. He explained how dangerous conspiracy theories can be.

“When you create doubts in the mind of people or misinformation is spread, then there is lack of trust in the system, and I think that makes our jobs a lot more difficult. The job already is difficult even with people who believe it,” said Vaid.

Vaid added that, if a virus is made in a lab, researchers could deconstruct it pretty easily. That has not been possible with COVID-19. What we do know is that it most likely started with bats and spread to humans.

Vaid said people challenge public health a lot because of how often the information from them has changed over time, but said it’s just a reminder that their recommendations are based on research – and those findings change as more is learned about the virus.

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